Like a few other members I've seen, I'm a long time lurker and now first time poster hoping to build my first unRAID box.  I've read more hardware posts that I can remember and while I have seen a lot of great information, nothing seems to entirely fit what I'm looking for.  In short, here's what I'm hoping for:

• Use: Will be used to store my collection of 40GB Blu-ray MKV rips.  Maybe someday as desktop backup, but for the foreseeable future, just as a media storage box to stream (in high def) to my HTPC.
  
• Budget: $1000 for everything (including unRAID licensing, UPS, flash drive for unRAID, etc.)
  
• Capacity: 9TB usable right now, with room to double that (or more) over time
  
• Plugins: Definitely APC UPS and SimpleFeatures.  Maybe Plex.  Perhaps someday others.
  
• Drives: Originally thinking 3TB WD Reds, but not sure if I need them or if my use only requires Greens.
  
• Wife Approval Factor: Wife wants to make sure I'm not dumping $100s into the setup every year to upgrade pieces.  She is ok with buying more HDD (and Pro license) for added capacity, but wants the other components to withstand the expansion
  
• Other: Low power consumption and relatively quiet would be a huge plus.  Since this will sit in my office right next to me, the quieter the better.  And, since it will basically only be used for a couple hours a day, lower power is good.  For all I care, it can go to sleep the other 22 hours of the day.
  

 

With the above in mind, here's what I have running through my head.  I don't want to buy the cheapest parts available and am willing to spend the money where appropriate for good components.  While I'm not just opening the wallet here ($1000 budget) I would be willing to spend a couple extra bucks here or there if it means future-proofing the build (i.e. I'll spend couple extra bucks on a PSU that I won't need to replace when I add more drives).

 

I've reviewed the recommended/compatible hardware guides but a lot seems to be no longer available.  Without further delay, here's what I have picked out so far.

Case: ZALMAN MS800 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235039

PSU: CORSAIR CX500M 500W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139050

4-in-3 cage: Xigmatek 4 in 3 HDD Cage for Hard Drive CCA-EMFCB-U01 - http://www.amazon.com/Xigmatek-Cage-Hard-Drive-CCA-EMFCB-U01/dp/B0078IWQGI

HDD: 4 of Western Digital Caviar Green 3 TB SATA III 64 MB Cache Bare/OEM Desktop Hard Drive - WD30EZRX - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RORMF6/?tag=pcpapi-20

 

I haven't picked out a MoBo, CPU, or RAM but I was hoping to get some help on that part.  I have look around and found various combinations (between $200 and $120 for all three) but all were lacking various features (no on-board video, no PCI-e, only 4 on-board SATA)

 

Some of my concerns that I am hoping someone can help with:

• Will that case work for my current requirements and future-proofing?
  
• It looks like I can fit 3 drives internally, and 8 more with two of the cages, correct?
  
• Will I have any problems streaming high definition content (no lag/buffering/stutter/etc.) from this setup (NIC, HDD speed)?
  
• What kind of cooling will I need for the case/HDD that isn't already accounted for.?
  
• Will Green drives be ok knowing I just need to stream content for a couple hours at a time and the array will sit idle the rest of the day?
  
• It seems that I wouldn't see my benefit from a cache drive at this time, correct?
  
• Is there any similarly-priced "better" case?  Perhaps one with all 5.25 bays (my OCD will kick in since I'll have two 4-in-3 cages and not a third for the bottom HDDs (this case looks like it might just have all front 5.25 drives based on review)
  
• Those cages would be installed with the fan out of the case, right?
  
• WD HDDs that I have selected.  EARX vs EZRX?
  
• Anything else I should be aware of when getting myself into this $1000 project?
  

 

I really do apologize for all the newb questions.  I've been researching unRAID for many months now and have finally decided (and got the approval) to start a build.  The last thing I want to do is forget something or misunderstand something and find out I spent $1000 and am either not happy or that it can't do what I need it to do.

Honestly, I cannot imagine building a dedicated NAS without removable hard drive trays.  I would look at one of the rackmount units, or get some 5-in-3 cages for that case. 

 

That will really help "future proof" your install.  With 15 bays, you can hold 56TB with currently available hard drives.

 

EDIT:  I just noticed that only 6 of the 5.25" bays on that case are external.  There is a case (it escapes me) that people are using with 9 external bays.

Honestly, I cannot imagine building a dedicated NAS without removable hard drive trays.  I would look at one of the rackmount units, or get some 5-in-3 cages for that case. 

If he wants to keep costs down for now the internal bays will do fine for now.

 

That will really help "future proof" your install.  With 15 bays, you can hold 56TB with currently available hard drives.

They do indeed to that and make life easier when hard drives go bad.  but at $100 a piece they can be a little spendy for someone trying to stay under a budget.

 

EDIT:  I just noticed that only 6 of the 5.25" bays on that case are external.  There is a case (it escapes me) that people are using with 9 external bays.

That is NOT the case with this case.  We at Greenleaf have moved to using this case for our builds.  There are in total 10 external 5.25 bays on this case.  With 3 5-in-3 cages and a single bay hot swap you can run 16 drives in this guy without any issue.

 

 

My suggestion (coming from someone who builds quite a few of these boxes):

1. Get a bigger PSU - 650 Watt maybe even 750 Watt

2. Get one of the hot swap bays (we like and use the norco)

3. Get a replacement fan for the norco drive cage if you really want the sound kept to a minimum

4. Go with a X9SCM-F-O or X9SCM-IIF for the motherboard

5. Go with the Intel G530/G540/G550/G645 or Intel G1610/G2020

6. A stick of this ram should get you start.  If you do decide to run Plex then more RAM probably would not hurt

7. Green drives should work just fine

EDIT:  I just noticed that only 6 of the 5.25" bays on that case are external.  There is a case (it escapes me) that people are using with 9 external bays.

That is NOT the case with this case.  We at Greenleaf have moved to using this case for our builds.  There are in total 10 external 5.25 bays on this case.  With 3 5-in-3 cages and a single bay hot swap you can run 16 drives in this guy without any issue.

 

 

Well, then NewEgg's description and specs are wrong.

Well, then NewEgg's description and specs are wrong.

That is correct.  There are 10 total external 5.25 bays.  Greenleaf is now using this case for our less than 20 drive tower builds.  It is a very nice case to work with and has pretty good cable management.

 

 

I am hoping to do a review on it and post it on the greenleaf website in the next month or so.

Thanks for the quick reply guys!  More great information, just like I've come to expect from this forum.

 

The case seems like a definite yes, especially for that price, as do the green drives.  I'm just not sure about the various versions of the WD Greens (EARX, EZRX, EARS, EZRS, etc.).

 

As for budget, $60 for case, $525 for 4 green drives, $80 for 750W PSU, and $150 for licensing, USB, and UPS, I'm already at 815, barely leaving $200 for a CPU, MoBo, and RAM, and that is without any drive cages or anything "fancy."  I am ok without hot-swap cages for now and with only 4 drives (maybe 5 or 6 in the coming months), I simply need something to hold them in the case (for $20 rather than hot-swap for $60+).

 

Are there any other ideas for the CPU/MoBo/RAM combo?  Your suggestions, while great, come in at a little under $300, which pushes the budget a bit.  If that increase in cost (with the 750W PSU as well) means I never have to upgrade components while I keep adding drives, I'll definitely consider it.  I was just hoping to find something a less expensive so I could come in just under $1000 and make the wife really happy    A happy wife is a happy home and I like staying on her good side!

You could go with 3 of the 3TB drives for now.  Use the Free version of unRAID and that would save you some money.

 

The motherboard/CPU/RAM combo i listed is what we use in our builds.  It is a very popular board/combo here on the forums because they are know to work and work well.  There is plenty of expansion in that board so that later you can expand to 16 drives in that case, build it out to be an ESXi box by upgrading CPU/RAM/etc.

 

unRAID is not overly picky about drives either.  You can likely find any 3TB drive on sale (or a 4TB like the seagates were/are at $160) and use them.  Probably save a little bit of money that way.

Well, since this is your first unRAID build, and your first attempt at acclimating your wife, I will suggest something more modest.

 

The HP Microservers are phenomenal little unRAID boxes. You can get up to 6 drives + 1 SSD cache drive, which with 4TB drives would be 20TB capacity. They're quiet, compact, and inexpensive. Right now Newegg has them for $339, but they have been as low as ~$250 with rebates. The unRAID support thread is here - http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=11585.0.

 

I can tell you that your first build won't be your last, and that if you upgrade later, there is a good market on here for a used Microserver.

 

But, if you're set on building your own, I have to +1 Prostuff's Supermicro motherboard recommendation, and even go so far as to say IPMI support is a must have. You may not always have a monitor and keyboard hooked up to the server, and IPMI makes remote management SO easy.

Thanks aiden!  That is something I have definitely not considered before but seems like it deserves a second look.

 

I am not set on building my own.  At this point, I just need something that fits the budget that will hold our Blu-ray rips, whether that be built or purchased.  The 4TB drives seem a bit pricey, but the cost/TB isn't far off from a 3TB drive--definitely worth another look regardless of the setup I get.

 

If I start with 3 drives, I don't need the Plus unRAID key so that will save a few bucks and get me to the $1000 budget.  Granted, there isn't room to expand beyond 6 drives, but, 20TB is plenty for the foreseeable future.  I love the ability to expand without needing new hardware, but, I think by the time I need more than 20TB, I'll be ready to spend more money.

 

Just a question.  Where is there space for 6 drives?  I only see 4, and maybe a 5th in what looks to be an external 5.25.

 

I'll keep doing my research but at this point it's a bit of a draw.  Spend a few more bucks today to get the ultimate in expandability, or get closer to the budget but be limited to 20TB (16?) at the absolute max.  I don't plan on getting anywhere near 20 any time soon so the microserver may be a good bet--if I can find one on sale.

I also have one of the MicroServers.  It currently only has 3 drives in it and is my dedicated Crashplan machine.  It works a treat for that and runs pretty well.

I have built a small form factor unRAID and prefer it over those with more bays. But...

 

When you have filled up all of your bays, the only way to get more capacity is to replace a drive that has not failed yet with a larger new drive. If you have empty bays you can keep the smaller drives in the system and just add more. So far I have been able to find another use for my old smaller drives, including just giving them away.

 

On the other hand, you have to have enough ports as well, which does add to the cost. And more drives requires a more expensive unRAID license.

 

 

Some excellent points trurl.  I have been going back and forth on my decision since the microserver idea was introduced.

 

Microserver Pros/Cons:

+ Pre-built unit

+ Small, Quiet

- Once you hit 5/6 drives, you either buy a new box or start replacing drives

 

Custom Build Pro/Cons:

+ Tons of room for drive expansion

+ With each new drive I add, the cost/TB decreases since the cost of the server is fixed

- I need to build it and ensure the components play nicely together

- Easier to blow past my budget 

 

For me it's really the expandability that keeps drawing me toward the custom build.  Though it doesn't quite fit under my budget, I can't help but think it's worth it in the long run--as long as I can expand it's storage and expand it's usage (backup for desktop computers, etc.).

 

Any other pros/cons to throw in there that may sway my decision?

+1 for aiden's argument.

This will most likely not be your last build.

 

Initially, you'll be limited to the no. of drives that are supported by the mobo on-board controller....going for more disks will involve spending more money for a controller and cables.

If you intend to save more money now, I suggest to go for an entry-level mobo with 1155 socket CPU and cheaper DRAM where the CPU can be recycled for a better build, like the Supermicro, later.

A B75 chipset mobo with a G2020  or G2120 CPU should do the trick, since these CPUs will also support ECC RAM later

 

Popular mobos are the MSI B75MA-P45 (6xSATA) or the ASROCK B75 Pro3-M (6+2xSATA).

I actually don't know if these will support ECC RAM but since they support XEON CPUs, there is a chance...ask the manufacturer to make sure.

If yes (in combo with a Pentium G2020/G2120), I'd go for ECC RAM from the start.

Edit: using ECC on these chipsets will not work....so your RAM will not move to a server chipset, see: http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/CS-009023.htm

 

 

 

Don't know if you are aware of pcpartpicker. While it doesn't specifically address unRAID compatibility, it will help check whether your CPU choice goes with your mobo choice, etc. It is also great for comparison shopping for parts since it shows the prices of different part choices and checks the prices at common online stores for you. You can just plug in some of the recommendations you are getting and it will add it up for you. Benchmarks, wattage, other useful info as well.

Thanks Ford Prefect, that helps bring price down a bit.  Is that MoBo/CPU/RAM combo decent enough to allow for adding more HDD capacity later or when I add more would it start to choke?  My guess is that I could add a card like this SYBA which would give me 4 more drives.  Of course, I think that's where it would stop and that's when I'd have to start upgrading components since even the MoBo looks like it would only support one of those card.

 

I had seen pcpartpicker before but never investigated it further.  Here's the current build I have going.  At this point, it doesn't seem much better off than the micro server if I can get one on sale.  The micro will have no ability to expand, but, with 5x4TB drives, I can get 16TB out of that box before needing to upgrade.  That is a little over double what I am using right now.

 

I want to thank everyone for their input.  It has been great to get so much help so quickly and has made my decision easier and harder at the same time.  I'm going to keep researching various possibilities and weighing the options.  Thanks everyone!

 

Edit to correct broken link

CPU is not an issue with basic unRAID...even an Atom can support a large build and stream native content just fine.

If you want to run addons, like Plex including live transcoding, you need more RAM and CPU than standard.

The Pentium G is already quite a good choice and will let you transcode Bluray to DVD without lag.

Transcoding/downsizing further, like to iphone, it will not do in realtime...you need some more beef to do that,

see H.264-benchmarks here: http://www.servethehome.com/Server-detail/intel-xeon-e5-2430l-review-benchmarks-dual-processors/

A small XEON like E31220v2 will do, but at almost four times the cost.

 

You can add a x8 controller, like the M1015 (8 drives, or with expander like a RES2SV240 up to 16/20 drives with ease) to these mobos.

The ASRock has a x8 and a x4 slot...you should be able to add a M1015 and a AOC-SASLP-MV8, for a  8 more drives each, directly.

The mobos have a realtek nic...should do fine with the latest RC5 builds but you could add an intel nic if need be.

 

Edit: fixed link.

Your link is broken. Try this one. Preview is your friend.

 

Not a big savings but I think the CPU will come with a cooler in the box so you probably don't have to add one if you don't have any special requirements like overclocking.

...with a G2020, going for DDR3-1600 is overkill...up to DDR3-1333 is supported....go for an G2120 to make use of this RAM.

 

Edit: nevermind....DDR3-1600 is even cheaper...technically it will work, so keep it in your config 

I swear I previewed that post a dozen times!  Not sure how I missed that one 

 

No lies here, I was relying on pcpartpicker to let me know if something was not compatible. I simply tossed in the CPU/MoBo and sorted RAM by price, looking for 2x2 that didn't seem too cheap.

 

I'm definitely a victim of overthinking and overanalyzing.  In the past hour I've gone back and forth between building it myself, buying the microserver, and just sticking with the external 3TB MyBook's that I have stacked up!

 

Part of my problem (that I think some of you have predicted) is the desire to expand.  I'm currently using around 6TB total.  My desire to build a box today that can hold 5 times that is probably a little over zealous.  I think getting into unRAID for $1000 for up to 16TB (or maybe ever 20) is probably more than enough to get me started.

 

It's times like these I wish someone could make my decisions for me!  Quick question--what capacities has everyone started with and how quickly did you outgrow your initial builds?

I started with 4TB data but long before I used that up I expanded and currently have 11TB capacity. Along the way I upgraded all of the other hardware including case, but still small. I guess I just like tinkering and spending money. I am really only using a little over 4TB of the 11. My wife's photography, music and other audio, not nearly as much video as a lot of people have, backups, miscellaneous. I may not ever outgrow this small build but I can remember the days when we thought 40MB hard drives were large so who knows?

I started with about 20TB of data in 2010/09/05.  I now have two servers of 36TB 80.3% full and 31TB 69.9% full so 50TB now not counting the additional 20-30TB on recording drives in my SageTV servers.  If I go through my recordings I could probably drop that to around 40TB on my unRAID servers once I delete the duplicates.  They have all been recorded off of cable and satellite.  If I could find them to download I could probably same quite a bit more space but it's not something I've done before.  I'm a pack-rat I like to have my collection on my drives rather than relying on netfix for instance.  Oh - BluRay rips are about 7.5TB and DVDs are 1.16TB of the above totals no music.

Trurl's build and my build are almost identical. It's a great small form factor build. Room for up to 7 3.5" drives, mobo has 6 onboard SATA ports, a PCIe slot if you ever need to add a SAS card, extremely quiet, and very low power consumption (33W at idle) yet enough horsepower to live transcode multiple Plex streams.

 

I only have 7TB with parity, but built it for roughly $900, including 8GB RAM, UPS and unRAID plus license.  Well within your budget.  For $1000 you should easily be able to get 9TB with parity.

 

Click the link in my sig for the build thread.

Trurl and BobPhoenix, thanks for the background.  Such a difference between just a couple builds.  If anything, shows what unRAID is capable of.

 

Dirty, I took a look at your build (specifically because you mention Plex) and it looks like to cost of those components has risen a bit since your build (RAM/PSU are $50 more).  Also, we're not near black friday for any great HDD deals just yet. It looks like your case holds 5 drives, the same as the HP ProLiant.  The big difference between the two being the power of the CPU/RAM in your Landfill vs the ProLiant.

 

After a LOT of number crunching and a huge Excel spreadsheet calculating $/TB of numerous options, I think I have finally come do a decision which wouldn't have been possible with all of the help from everyone in this thread.  I have been considering 3 alternatives:

• HP ProLiant Microserver
  
• Custom "big" build (with some of the server components recommended early in this thread
  
• Custom "small" build (based on Dirty's Landfill build
  

 

After calculating all of the costs, the "big" server would have the most room to expand but also cost the most and has the highest $/TB, regardless of how many drives I pack inside.

 

The ProLiant and Landfill builds are similar:

• ProLiant has cheapest $/TB using 4TB drives (the more drives, the better $/TB
  
• Landfill is more powerful and may have "slightly" more ability to expand
  
• Landfill can handle Plex, ProLiant may or may not be able to transcode 1080p on the fly
  

 

Bottom line, I'm either going with the ProLiant or a Landfill build, depending on when either goes on sale.  I currently have a little space left on my external WD MyBook drives.  Between now and when I fill those drives I'm going to keep an eye on the price of the ProLiant and Landfill components.  Whichever becomes cheaper first wins!

 

Thanks again, everyone.  This thread has been a huge help.  While driving me mad with choices, a little math helped me put together the best $/TB (while realizing that I don't need a build that can hold 60TB).  Knowing that I can toss a couple extra 4TB drives into the ProLiant or Landfill build to get me to 16TB (or maybe 20) is more than enough for the foreseeable future.

The case I used has a 5-bay hotswap cage, but you can also fit 2x 3.5" HDD's plus 1x 2.5" HDD  on the floor plate of the case. Granted it starts to get really crowded with drives on the floor plate, but it is possible.

 

When I initially posted, I forgot that most of my build was sourced on Black Friday and therefore the price would likely be a bit higher at the present moment. That said, by being patient and keeping your eye on Newegg (and other vendors) sales you should be able to source the components for similar price, and/or swapping for like components that happen to be on sale (different RAM vendor, different PSU, etc).

 

I, like you, went completely OCD in considering my build and was overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices. In the end I settled on the components in my build and couldn't be happier.

 

Good luck with your build whatever you decide to do!

Transcoding is a little overrated, imho. It's awesome if you're at home and have a solid, unsaturated wireless connection. As soon as you take your mobile device with you on a trip, it doesn't do anything for you. That's why I shifted my strategy away from transcoding on the fly to preshrunk movies. I use handbrake to shrink my movies to 576p, with Dolby Pro Logic II audio, and store them in a separate directory specifically for my mobile devices. If I'm home, I stream from that directory. If I'm leaving, I dump the MUCH smaller files onto the device and have a larger library while I'm on the road (or in the air). TV shows from usenet are already compressed, and so this process isn't necessary for them. For my 450+ blu-ray movie collection, it takes about 1TB to store all of them at 576p (which is still higher quality than DVD at 480). This one time compression saves my server from having to constantly feed and compress, keeping resources available for other tasks. A lot of people would say it's a waste of space, time, money, etc, but really it's only using about 10% more storage, and the result is no transcoding headaches.

 

The only reason I am stating all this is because there are a lot of things you can ask unRAID to do, but you may find that your strategy changes as you incorporate this into your daily lives.